For the Record: Gib (Tatts) Thomas

Courtesy of Tattoo Archive: Gib Thomas, as the story is told, was born in New Orleans around the turn of the 20th century. Early on it was obvious that he had drawing talent, and at the tender age of 14 he left home to make his own way. Somewhere along the path he picked up the art of tattooing which he stayed with it for the next fifty years. It has been said that his needle-name “Tatts” was given to him while on the Ringling Show in 1917…

In the 1960s, the magazine Escape To Adventure stated that Thomas had traveled over much of Europe, and boarded vessels in Rotterdam, Hamburg, Antwerp and London to leave his mark. After traveling the world, Tatts Thomas settled down and made a name for himself tattooing in Chicago. He worked at several locations, including #414, 430, and 600 South State Street, #13 West Harrison, which is just off of State Street, and with Cliff Raven at #900 West Belmont. In the early 1960s when Chicago raised the age limit for tattooing to 21 most of the tattooists left the city, but not Tatts. He stuck around at least for a while longer. Later he did tattoo at 5108 6th Ave in Kenosha Wisconsin with Greg May and with Amund Dietzel at 304 West Wells Street in Milwaukee.

In the 1920s a very young merchant seaman named Norman Keith Collins, (known later as Sailor Jerry), came off the Great Lakes and started tattooing in Chicago. One of Jerry’s business cards has survived from that time and it shows him at #434 State Street. Tatts Thomas worked all up and down State Street during this era but the Archive has no hard record that Thomas and Collins ever worked together at #434. With that said Sailor Jerry did credit Tatts Thomas as one of his early teacher, Jerry said that Thomas showed him the ropes of machine tattooing. They continued to correspond through the years and Thomas visited Jerry in Honolulu in 1969.

Tatts Thomas worked for many years in Chicago with Ralph Johnstone who was a tattooist that doubled as a sideshow banner painter. There is a bit of confusion with Johnstone. There exist sheets of flash showing signatures of both Ralph Johnstone and Ralph Johnson. After much research I believe that they are one and the same person. It is still unclear why the flash was signed with different names.

Unlike Thomas’ flash, much of Ralph Johnstone’s flash has survived and it shows his considerable skill as an artist. Throughout the years Tatts Thomas received a lot of press in newspapers and men’s magazines and often Ralph Johnstone paintings would be credited to Thomas.

In his later years Tatts Thomas worked with Amund Dietzel, “The Master of Milwaukee”. In 1966 the city fathers of Milwaukee decided to outlaw tattooing and force the four tattooists out-of-town. The 1960’s were a bleak period for tattooing in the United States with many cities; making it illegal for various reasons. Tatts Thomas summed it up well when he said, “If Milwaukee bans tattooing what has the city got? It lost the Braves, now tattooing, all it’s got left is the old clock in the tower of the railroad station.”

Tatts Thomas and Ralph Johnston’s business card from their #13 West Harrison Street shop in Chicago, c1940. Card is courtesy Temple Tattoo Museum.

Thomas is seen here at #430 South State Street, c1950s.

The back of Thomas’ #414 South State Street shop card. As can be seen from this Earle Harvey illustration (and whether it be true or not) Thomas was very proud of his medical achievements and often promoted them on his business cards. (3a) Thomas is seen here at #414 South State Street in Chicago, c1950.

Cliff Raven and Tatts Thomas at Cliff Raven’s Belmont Street shop c1960s. Cliff said that Tatts would mostly come and hangout but, he did a few tattoos there as well.

Backpiece by Tatts Thomas, c1950s.

Rare photograph of Thomas without his trademark pencil-thin mustache. Harvey Rogers on the right, c1930s.

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One comment

Gib tatts Thomas was my surrogate father when i was a kid, he and his wife tommy left me with two wonderful peices of his tattoo paintings. i see these wonderfull tributes to the man i came to know as uncle tatts and know what a truly tallented man he was. one of the pictures i have (The knife dance) is truly my favorite of all the works he has done and i truly know it was his as well.